7 thoughts on “Supersizers: Historical Food + Comedy + Costumes = Win!

  1. The question is whether they are burning equivalent calories to what was expended in the periods they visit. Are they walking more, climbing more stairs, and taking activity breaks between courses? Or is it just about the food consumption and no other activities of the various periods?

    At any rate, it looks like fun, and I adore Giles Coren, food, and costumes, so I’ll be watching.

    1. Oops! Missed the bit about the activities. But will it be to the same extent as it was during the respective periods?

  2. I LOVE the Supersizers!!!! They’re so funny, and it’s a really fun, witty look at food and life in ‘ye olde tymes’. I think it would be slightly less entertaining if they were history buffs, honestly. I think their modern perspectives, unfiltered by historical knowledge or a “Serious Professor” mentality, also underscores just how vast the changes that have occurred in the ways we looked at food and the ways we thought about food, and how we ate food in any of those time periods to the way we do now. Despite the fact that their historical personae’s lifestyles were not remotely like what their real-life counterparts would have experienced (aside from the menus), I really would love to see more from this series.
    And as to the portions, I always looked at it from the basis of: they’re portraying wealthy or upwardly mobile people who would have wanted to show off their wealth, so they may actually have had all those dishes on offer, even when dining amongst themselves and not entertaining. The individual portions of each dish may have been smaller than depicted. And perhaps leftovers recycled for other meals or for the servants. I don’t really know, but that’s the thinking I brought to viewing the portrayals.
    Anyway, LOOOOOOVE the Supersizers.

  3. So pleased to have found your blog. Was already enjoying your FB posts, which are reflected in my ever-growing Netflix queue! This show looks like great fun. Will check it out on Amazon. Thank you!

  4. Kendra, I’ve not seen this show, but it has been discussed several times on various historical cooking lists I’m on. The general consensus on those lists is that the representations of, at least, the early modern and medieval food is not particularly accurate. I know your focus is on the clothes, not the food, but I thought I’d point that out.

  5. I know this is a super-old post, but I loved watching Supersizers when it came on ABC in Australia – it was hi-larious, & given I’m an amatuer history buff, I loved 95% of this series, partly because it was split equally between history, food & humour- for the most part, it’s the Roman & Middle Ages ones where inaccurate costumes really stand out & cliches abound; Giles’ main surcoat looks like it came from the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ costumes’ warehouse & all bar Sue’s ‘ale woman’ costume were decades, if not centuries out in style & fabric choices- & the ‘Egyptian’ look is as trite & played out as it gets, with the two $5 wigs (one for Cleopatra, one for Boudicca) & the other clearly out-of-place headwear.
    I think I would die of shock if a production ever elected to do Hellenistic Egypt right (‘Agora’ is the only one who’s gotten close).
    The minus 5% comes from a couple of things; much as I love Sue, it did get a little repetitive when she’s ‘bored’ by things like sewing (I learnt embroidery from my late grandma, so it has a special place in my heart- but I do get it’s not for everyone)- it reminded me of that ‘Regency House Party’ series; I was so cranky at some of those women ( they all volunteered to be there)- real Regency women didn’t spend days complaining & just sitting in the parlour, going out of their heads- anyone who knows a thing (cracking any Austen or Gaskell could tell you at least some of that, or a good biography of Austen- even the Firth ‘P&P’ shows a scene of the girls dyeing ribbons & trimming hats, for Pete’s sake) would appreciate that their days were occupied with many a hobby (& there were many to choose from), letter-writing (yes, once upon a time there was no such thing as email, texting or Snapchat), reading, music, housekeeping (fair enough, they’re guests in this particular house, but still…)- it felt somewhat deliberate to not at least give the option of stuff to do, as if to show some kind of modern superiority – & there was one guy who kept complaining about missing tv & football.
    I digress – I sometimes think they deliberately picked some of the grossest dishes available (the ‘Pigeon Pye’ & ‘Lambs’ Head with Purtenance’… you genuinely couldn’t pay me enough) – & lastly, for a very particular reason… the ’80’s episode, somewhat ironically, I think (I was born in ’84), as it was the only episode where I almost threw up… it was when they were doing the cocktails (the ‘Cement Mixer’ one, to be precise), but I liked the Aussie references- as soon as they mentioned box-wine, I thought, ‘We called it goon!’ (that’s old slang, there)- & thought about the rinsed out bags that were blown up to serve as free travel pillows on long road trips in my childhood.
    Sorry for such a long post… I grovel at the FrockFlick altar for forgiveness.

  6. Major fan of the series. Major fan. In the case of some of their heavy meals, they don’t affect their health much, due to the food being fresh and that the era from which they came required a great deal of activity. It was pointed out in the episode about the 1970s that many citizens were more active than they are in the early 21st century.

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